Marijuana Compound Found Superior To Drugs For Alzheimer’s

Could the active ingredient in marijuana, responsible for its characteristic “high,” help turn the tide against the accelerating Alzheimer’s epidemic?

A remarkable study published in the journal Molecular Pharmacology in 2006, found that this long vilified plant contains a compound with not one, but two therapeutic properties ideal for addressing both the surface symptom (memory problems) and root cause (brain plaque) of Alzheimer’s disease. [i] This is an ironic finding, considering that the prevailing stereotype is that using marijuana “fries” the brain, leading to debilitating memory issues.

Researchers discovered that the psychoactive component of marijuana, Î”9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), both “competitively inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as well as prevents AChE-induced amyloid Î²-peptide (AÎ²) aggregation.”

On the first account, THC’s ability to inhibit the AChE enzyme, is not unlike the mechanism of action behind most Alzheimer’s drugs on the market today. Drugs like donepezil (trade name Aricept), for instance, by targeting and inhibiting the brain enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), result in an increase in brain levels of this neurotransmitter, which in turn, results in symptom reduction, i.e. improved memory. Donepezil, however, is riddled with controversy due its well-known association with seizures, which likely reflects its intrinsic neurotoxicity. It is, in fact, a chemical in the same general chemical class as venom, insecticides and chemical war agents, such as nerve gas.

On the second account, THC’s ability to prevent the acetylcholinesterase-associated amyloid Î²-peptide (AÎ²) aggregation, i.e. brain plaque, indicates that it may, as the researchers noted, “directly impact Alzheimer’s disease pathology.” In fact, they found “Compared to currently approved drugs prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, THC is a considerably superior inhibitor of AÎ² aggregation, and this study provides a previously unrecognized molecular mechanism through which cannabinoid molecules may directly impact the progression of this debilitating disease.”

What is so encouraging about this research, and which the researchers described as “noteworthy,” is the following:

THC is a considerably more effective inhibitor of AChE-induced AÎ² deposition than the approved drugs for Alzheimer’s disease treatment, donepezil and tacrine, which reduced AÎ² aggregation by only 22% and 7%, respectively, at twice the concentration used in our studies. Therefore, AChE inhibitors such as THC and its analogues may provide an improved therapeutic for Alzheimer’s disease, augmenting acetylcholine levels by preventing neurotransmitter degradation and reducing AÎ² aggregation, thereby simultaneously treating both the symptoms and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

THC, of course, is only one of a wide range of cannabinoids in the plant marijuana. Not only is there already plentiful information on the neuroprotective properties of marijuana compounds, but there is also a sizeable body of clinical and/or biomedical research indicating the medicinal value of this plant in over 150 health conditions. To view this research visit our Medical Marijuana Research page.

Pot has many medical properties, it also helps in the cure for cancer. Why does the medical industry prevent this wonderful cure all from help patients? Oh year, they don’t want a cure for diseases because they will lose money. It’s all about the money, but people are wise to this now. And hemp is a better cloth than cotton. Can you imagine all the money cotton growers would lose if hemp cloth was introduced into the manufacturing business? Who do you think is preventing it? What a sinister country we live in when the wealthy can let us live or die.

bonnielou

Don’t forget nylon, patented by Dupont in 1937, the same year hemp was outlawed. (coincidence?) Everything now made of nylon was previously made of hemp – ropes, sails, parachutes, tents, clothing, fishing nets. And hemp nets, although the strongest natural fiber in the world, eventually biodegraded, and did not remain in the sea in perpetuity, drowning and strangling sealife.

grant

what do studies show of efficacy of cannibis tea or eaten forms for same results?

Neptune

The guy in Canada who was treating people with doses of oil from the Indica variety of the plant for some of those 150 diseases mentioned, including cancer, was shut down. If you have Alzheimer’s and there is no other effective treatment surely something that may help is worth a try.